Pi-bonded composite structures are used increasingly in military and commercial aircraft. Although pi-bonded composite laminates exhibit enhanced strength in comparison to conventional fastening methods, they are difficult to inspect for critical flaws. Furthermore, these structures tend to be large and geometrically complex, making conventional immersion ultrasonic and ultrasonic phased array inspections difficult or impossible. Finally, existing phased array hand-held fixtures do not allow complete inspection coverage of pi-bonds near joints, corners, and stiffeners.
For the reasons stated above and for other reasons stated below that will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading and understanding the present specification, there is a need in the art for an effective and efficient device and method for inspecting pi-bonded composite structures.